The happy divorcees, with average age of 55, have been dubbed the ‘Sex And The City generation’ because they see themselves as strong, independent women who don’t need a man to support them.

The indepth survey of 1060 divorcees found that almost two thirds of the women (61 per cent) had given up on dating altogether while only 47 per cent of men said they were not looking for another relationship.

One woman said that the most surprising thing about her divorce was to find “that I really don’t need a man. Friends and family are more important.”

Another said: “It was unexpected to find just how fulfilling single life can be. I’ve never been so happy.”

One woman in her forties said: “Being single is the way forward. I think it shows real strength.”

Another added: “I plan to stay single for the rest of my life to enjoy my independence.”

According to the Office of National Statistics 42 per cent of marriages end in divorce.

The most common reason cited in the survey was that a partner had “changed as a person”, followed by “we were unhappy”.

The survey also found that the seven year itch is a myth, with the most break-ups (32 per cent) occurring between one and five years, with 27 per cent happening between six and ten years and 21 per cent after more than 16 years.

Most read in Fabulous

HOOVER IT UP

You can buy a Dyson vacuum for your child for £21.99... and it actually WORKS

Exclusive

LOONY TUNES?

Don’t Tell The Bride singer ‘manipulated’ by show who ‘made him sound worse’

NO WEIGH

The Queen ‘will weigh’ Meghan Markle and her mother after Xmas lunch

'SO UNPROFESSIONAL'

Teenager 'close to tears' after claiming salon mocked her on WhatsApp

Warning

JAW DROPPING

Woman shares shocking photo of mouth ulcer that turned into cancer

ALL THAT GLITTERS

World’s most sparkly townhouse opens in London costing £99 a night

Susanna Abse, a leading psychotherapist, said the findings reflected the impact of feminism and women’s greater economic power.

Harry Benson, research director of the Marriage Foundation, said: “However well justified, divorce remains the failure of a dream . . . divorce rates today are back at levels last seen in the early 1970s.”